Sydney's most prestigious schools association, the GPS, is in turmoil with Scots College boycotted from sporting contests amid claims from rival schools that it offered prohibited inducements to recruit young athletes.

Concerns have also been raised about the exclusive Bellevue Hill school's sports science program, which Fairfax Media can reveal is being run by a protege of controversial sports scientist Stephen Dank. Five of Sydney's top private schools - believed to be The King's School, Sydney Church of England Grammar School, St Joseph's College, Sydney Grammar School and St Ignatius' College, Riverview - have refused to play Scots' first- and second-grade basketball teams in the season which starts next month.

On the way to a win: The Scots players in action. Photo: Scots College website

The schools accuse Scots of offering sports scholarships to its players in breach of the Great Public Schools code of practice, which prohibits such inducements ''whether direct, disguised, or at arm's length''. Scots' premiership-winning rugby team is also thought to be under scrutiny.

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The boycott has fractured the GPS athletics association. The King's School headmaster Tim Hawkes, who declined to comment on Scots, said the use of such inducements killed ''off meaningful competition … Do we play sport to develop character, resilience and teamwork, or do we play sport to build enrolments, prestige and provide the gift of bragging rights?''

Fairfax Media can reveal that Scots College's director of sports science, Tenzing Tsewang, worked with Mr Dank at the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles NRL club. Mr Dank is a central figure in the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority investigations into the AFL and NRL.

''I rate [Mr Tsewang] streets ahead of anyone in the NRL from a sports science point of view,'' said Mr Dank, who denies providing athletes with performance-enhancing drugs and has begun legal action to clear his name.

Mr Tsewang said he did four months unpaid work with Manly in 2008 to gain experience and was not aware of any "unethical or illegal practices".

"I learnt valuable experience that has made me into the sports scientist I am today. I have held the esteemed roles of head sports scientist at the Wests Tigers since then and now the Director of Sports Science at Scots and strongly reject your links that have the capacity to defame my character and the good work that is happening at Scots."

Fairfax Media does not suggest Mr Tsewang has any involvement with performance-enhancing drugs.

Scots College principal Ian Lambert refused to say whether he was aware of Mr Tsewang's previous connection with Mr Dank.

Each of the five rival schools wrote to Dr Lambert notifying him of their boycott and raising alleged similar breaches by Scots teams in other sports.

He has denied awarding sports scholarships. ''I believe they [the other schools] have got it wrong. It is rumour. It is a misunderstanding of our program,’’ he said.

He refused to say whether any premiership-winning basketball players were on a bursary or scholarship, citing privacy reasons.

On Friday, the last day of term, Dr Lambert emailed parents to say the school had ‘‘complied with the spirit and letter of the GPS code of practice’’. He cited the school’s improved win-loss ratio and ‘‘wonderful year of success’’ in sport, winning GPS premierships in basketball, shooting, cross country and rugby.

Dr Lambert said Scots had engaged a consultant from Melbourne to investigate its sporting programs and practices, ‘‘to ensure that there are no areas of concern’’.

The results of the three-day inquiry would be sent to the standing committee of GPS heads, before an extraordinary meeting of the association on October 15.

Its first basketball games are on October 12. Dr Lambert said he hoped the rest would go ahead as scheduled.

The executive director of the Association of Independent Schools of NSW, Geoff Newcombe, said: ‘‘If there is a protocol in place where schools have agreed not to offer scholarships to students talented in a sporting area, then obviously the schools should honour that protocol.’’

Former Riverview principal Shane Hogan said the use of sports inducements could fracture the GPS sports association.

‘‘If it continues like this you are going to have a break-up of schools in Sydney ... Everyone is always concerned if there is not a level playing field ...

‘‘The only concern I have is for kids who enter the field at first-grade level without any hope whatsoever of being competitive. It becomes a safety issue.’’

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